Scrabo Tower
Scrabo Tower (Irish: Túr Scrabo) is located to the west of Newtownards in County Down, Northern Ireland.
The landmark, which is visible from most of north Down, was built above the town in 1857 as a memorial to Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry who was one of the Duke of Wellington's generals during the Napoleonic Wars. The 3rd Marquis, or "Warring Charlie" as he was also known, inherited the title and family seat of Mount Stewart after his brother, the 2nd Marquis, committed suicide. The 2nd Marquis is better known as Viscount Castlereagh, the politician who served a term as Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The tower was built to designs attributed to Charles Lanyon and WH Lynn,[1] and now stands in a country park.[2] The park has several woodland walks and parkland through Killynether Wood. The view from the hill and the summit of the tower extends across Strangford Lough, scattered with its many islands, to the Mountains of Mourne and the Scottish coast. The tower houses two floors of displays and a climb of 122 steps takes the visitor to the open viewing level. Scrabo Country Park is always open, admission to the park and the tower is free.[2]
Scrabo Golf Club is looked down on by Scrabo Tower and the tower overlooks most of the course.
Cultural references
Scrabo Tower was the inspiration for 'the Tower of Trufandom' in The Enchanted Duplicator[3] by Walt Willis and Bob Shaw.[4]
References
- ↑ "DIA entry for Scrabo Tower". Dictionary of Irish Architects. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "DOENI - Scrabo Tower and Country Park". Country Parks and Countryside Centres. Department of the Environment Northern Ireland. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ↑ Willis, Walt; Shaw, Bob (February 1954). "'The Enchanted Duplicator'". Retrieved 25 February 2009.
- ↑ Nielsen Hayden, Patrick and Teresa (August 1987). "'Aspects and Inclinations' - Hyphen magazine - Number 37". Hyphen. Retrieved 1 May 2008.
Coordinates: 54°34′48″N 5°42′56″W / 54.58010°N 5.7155°W